Four members of Kalamazoo College’s class of 2024 have been selected for prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants for the 2024-25 academic year.
Julia Holt, of Owatonna, Minnesota; Teresa Lucas, of Mattawan, Michigan; Ally Noel, of Midland, Michigan; and Danielle Treyger, of West Bloomfield, Michigan; are among the students, artists and young professionals who will represent the U.S. in about 140 countries for one academic year. Chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, these students and recent alumni will participate in the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program, which places grantees in primary and secondary schools or universities overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in the classrooms.
Since its inception in 1946, Fulbright has provided more than 400,000 participants with opportunities to exchange ideas and contribute to solutions to shared international concerns. The program is funded by an annual appropriation from Congress to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and managed through the U.S. Department of State.
For the last five consecutive years, K has been named a Top Producing Institution for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Here’s what K’s representatives plan to do abroad.
Julia Holt
Holt was a studio art major and Chinese minor who studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea, in her time at K. Beginning in August, she will teach English in Taiwan for her Fulbright award.
“Since I had such a great experience studying abroad as an undergraduate, I wanted to travel again and continue making new cross-cultural conversation,” Holt said. “I also wanted to apply the Chinese language skills I learned at K. I am so excited to be an ETA in Taiwan because I hope to utilize not only my Mandarin, but also my artistic and creative skills while teaching. I’m curious to learn how art and language work together as I assist in the classroom. In the future, I can see myself building on my Fulbright with my aspiring career goal of working in exhibit or scenic design, nurturing visual storytelling and intercultural education.”
Teresa Lucas
Lucas, who was a German and psychology double major at K, will spend 10 months in Waltrop, Germany. She had spent six months on study abroad in Erlangen, Germany, where she completed an Integrative Cultural Research Project (ICRP) at a middle school where she fell in love with teaching.
“With the long-term goal of working in education, I hope to gain further knowledge on teaching strategies in international language classrooms,” Lucas said. “I also look forward to continuing to improve my German language skills and exploring the parts of the country I have not yet seen.”
Ally Noel
Noel was a double major in anthropology/sociology and English at K. She will travel to Savannakhet, Laos, for 11 months to fulfill her Fulbright service at Savannakhet High School.
Noel decided not to study abroad as an undergrad, opting instead to work as a substitute teacher through Kalamazoo Public Schools and as a youth development coach in an afterschool program through Communities in Schools. Fulbright, however, represents an opportunity to learn abroad about global education systems, which are constantly growing, changing and adapting.
“In order to be the teacher that I strive to be one day—one who is receptive, sensitive and present inside and outside the classroom—I knew pursuing an immersive international experience as an ETA was necessary,” Noel said. “My goals while abroad are to expand my understanding of inclusive and equitable pedagogical approaches in an international context while participating and engaging in meaningful cultural exchange.”
Danielle Treyger
Treyger was a business and Spanish double major at K. She studied abroad in Cáceres, Spain, where she tutored children of all ages in English. She also volunteered at a local elementary school and at a nonprofit organization where she taught refugees to speak English. For about 10 months, Treyger will return to Spain through Fulbright to build relationships with students and teachers in a multilingual setting and make a difference in the community.
“I developed a passion for teaching and working in a multilingual setting in Spain,” Treyger said. “After that, I just knew that my future was there. I felt like it was the most practical next step for me, as I would like to pursue a career that involves teaching, languages, traveling and immersing myself in different cultures. I feel very grateful and lucky to have received this prestigious opportunity.”
